Wednesday, 21 October 2026

BOBBY CHARLTON PASSED

 Sir Bobby Charlton passed away on this day 21st October 2023.....I published this "blog" then.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cs5V7fiw9U

In a statement, his family said: "It is with great sadness that we share the news that Sir Bobby passed peacefully in the early hours of Saturday morning. He suffered from a trauma in his lungs, a fall and suffering from dementia, in his nursing home. "He was surrounded by his family. His family would like to pass on their thanks to everyone who has contributed to his care and for the many people who have loved and supported him." Certainly he was a very influential part of my footballing development!!! Read more: https://news.sky.com/story/sir-bobby-charlton-dies-live-updates-tributes-paid-to-england-and-man-utd-football-legend-12989219

Robert Charlton was born in Ashington, Northumberland, England on 11 October 1937 to coal miner Robert "Bob" Charlton (24 May 1909 – April 1982) and Elizabeth Ellen "Cissie" Charlton (née Milburn; 11 November 1912 – 25 March 1996). 

He was related to several professional footballers on his mother's side of the family: his uncles were Jackie Milburn (Leeds United and Bradford City) his mother's cousin, George Milburn (Leeds United and Chesterfield), Jim Milburn (Leeds United and Bradford Park Avenue) and Stan Milburn (Chesterfield, Leicester City and Rochdale), and legendary Newcastle United and England footballer. However, Charlton credits much of the early development of his career to his grandfather Tanner and his mother Cissie. His elder brother, Jack, initially worked as a miner before applying to the police, only to also become a professional footballer with Leeds United and played a huge part in the 1966 World Cup win.

A young Bobby Charlton on the cover of the Argentine sports magazine El Grafico, 27 June 1962!

His Honours

Manchester United Youth

Manchester United Full team


England

Individual

Orders and special awards

Tuesday, 20 October 2026

NOTHING LIKE A PUNCH UP

On this day in 1990, Arsenal and Manchester United had a coming together at Old Trafford and it wasn't just a fisty cuffs but kicks flew in too, after Anders Limpar and Denis Irwin initially squared up, leading to a 21 man brawl and yes I bet you are thinking "who missed out?". What about the touchline mob? Well, David Seaman (not really touchline!) sensibly of course, was the only man to not be involved (troo far away?) and some might say that he would have been worried about having his locks tugged! So he stuck to his line...especially if Nayim was knocking around! The FA, of course, took a dim view, fining both clubs £50,000, deducting Arseanl two points and United one...why different?
What Happened??
  • The Trigger: In the second half, Arsenal's Nigel Winterburn made a heavy, lunging tackle on Manchester United's Denis Irwin.
  • The Melee: United's Brian McClair reacted by kicking out at Winterburn while he was on the ground. Anders Limpar retaliated by punching McClair (leaving McClair needing stitches behind his ear), and Paul Lintz shoved Limpar into the advertising hoardings.
  • The Scale: 21 players on the pitch joined the scuffle; Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman was the only player who did not take part.
  • The Referee: Keith Hackett handed out yellow cards to only two players—Winterburn and Limpar—and did not issue any red cards during the match. 
  • The Football Association docked Arsenal two points and Manchester United one point, alongside a £50,000 fine for both clubs. This marked the first time in English football history that teams lost league points due to player misconduct.
  • Internal Fines: Both clubs and Arsenal manager George Graham heavily fined the involved players internally (two weeks' wages for several Arsenal players).
  • Legacy: Despite the points deduction, Arsenal used the incident as fuel and went on to  win comfortably, the 1990–91 First Division title, while the match is widely credited with sparking the fierce modern rivalry between the two clubs. I hope this works below....if not just type in the basics of this event, see above:
  • https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=fa4011683115049c&rlz=1C1GCEA_enGB1034GB1034&cs=0&sxsrf=APpeQnt0YSdSB57XBRJSYKsaMef9YbRZUw:1792504700984&q=Battle+of+Old+Trafford&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiM2tWv4MiXAxUXgP0HHW9vHewQpboHKAR6BAgDEAY&biw=1100&bih=506&dpr=1.75#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:f4fa6f34,vid:DqLGrcWRMWg,st:0


Monday, 19 October 2026

GOSS AND COHEN-CANARIES

The football match between Bayern Munich and Norwich City was played at the Olympiastadian, Munich, on 19 October 1993, as part of the second round of the 1993-4 UEFA Cup and finished in a   2–1 victory for the English side. Jeremy Goss, below right, and Mark Cohen, below left, scored for Norwich and Christian Nerlinger replied for Bayern; all three goals were scored in the first half. The opening goal by Goss, a volley from outside the area, is considered the greatest goal in Norwich's history and the victory the pinnacle of the club's history.



Norwich had qualified for the season's UEFA Cup after finishing third in the inaugural Premier League season, while Bayern had ended their previous campaign in the 1992-3, Bundesliga in second place. This was Norwich's third competitive match in European football, having defeated SBV Vitesse 3–0 on aggregate in the first round. In contrast, Bayern Munich were playing their 185th European cup tie and had progressed to the second round with a 7–3 aggregate victory over FC Twente.

The result was a huge upset in European football; it was the only victory by a British club against Bayern Munich in their Olympiastadion. That it was Norwich that inflicted the defeat was startling: Norwich were "mere babes at this level" and, according to Goss, "there's no doubt Bayern assumed it would be easy". German sports magazine "Kicker" was critical of Bayern's approach to the match.

Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2003–2006West Ham United18(0)
2005–2006→ Yeovil Town (loan)30(1)
2006–2007Yeovil Town44(6)
2007–2018Nottingham Forest272(14)
Total364(21)
International career
2003England U163(0)
2002–2003England U175(0)
Managerial career
2026–Lincoln City (joint with Tom Shaw)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2003–2006West Ham United18(0)
2005–2006→ Yeovil Town (loan)30(1)
2006–2007Yeovil Town44(6)
2007–2018Nottingham Forest272(14)
Total364(21)
International career
2003England U163(0)
2002–2003England U175(0)
Managerial career
2026–Lincoln City (joint with Tom Shaw)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

The second leg was played on 3 November 1993 and ended in a 1–1 draw, meaning that Norwich won the tie 3–2 on aggregate. They went on to be defeated by eventual champions Internazionale 2–0 over the two legs in the third round. Norwich ended their domestic season in 12th place in the Premier League, while Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga, one point ahead of Kaiserslautern.

Sunday, 18 October 2026

THE INTER-CONTINENTAL CUP

Here was a bright idea; what about an Inter-Continental Cup??? A "final" pitting the Champions of Europe ("finalised" by the winners of the then European Cup against the Champions of South America's Copa Libertadores), to stir up emotions. 

The first leg of the 1967 Intercontinental Cup Final on the 18th October, brought a few issues including torrid behaviour, dreadful fouls and flared tempers.... which did football no favours at all. 

The Final between Argentinian  and South American Champions, Racing Club v the Scottish and European Champions, Celtic, attracted 170,000 people in the first leg of the Final at Hampden Park.  
Celtic won 1-0 but lost the second game 2-1, at El Cellindro de Avellaneda,  making a 2-2 aggregate. In the play off the Argentinians won 1-0 in Uruguay. 
Celtic's Jimmy Johnstone, their nippy winger came in for some "treatment" during the Final, where the South Americans did what they were good at. See photo....

The following year Manchester United had a rough two legs against Estudiantes of Argentina. In La Bombonera, in the La Boca region of Buenos Aires, only 25,000 watched the home team win 1-0. Whereas 63,500 were at Old Trafford to witness United only draw 1-1, giving the trophy to their guests. 

Juan Ramon Veron, father of Juan Sebastian Veron scored in the opening minutes, George Best got sent off and Willie Morgan equalised in the final seconds; it was not enough.

The reputation of this competition was dented by the end of the 1960s, and in the 1970s some European clubs refused to take part and replacement clubs had to be found. 

In the 1980s the matches were played as a one off Final in Tokyo and that seemed to take the sting out of the event. Nottingham Forest, Liverpool and Aston Villa all made runners up in the 1980s and Manchester United won in 1999, beating Palmeiras of Brazil in Japan. 

The clubs that have had most wins include Nacional, Penarol of Uruguay and Boca Juniors of Argentina, whilst in Europe, Real Madrid, and AC Milan have had most appearances.
25 different clubs have won in 45 editions, with Argentina having 9 wins, Italy 7 and Brazil 6.

In 2000 the FIFA World Club Cup was initiated and from 2005 it has taken its place annually, when more teams from other continents have been involved.  
In 2008 Manchester Utd beat LDU Quito (a club with its origins in the city's university, Ecuador) 1-0 in Yokohama. 
In 2012 Corinthians of Brazil (founded and named after the Corinthians of England) beat Chelsea 1-0, also in Yokohama, Japan and in 2019 Liverpool, the most recent winners, beat Flamengo of Brazil in Doha. Not to be confused with Intercontinental Cup (1960–2004), also known as the European/South American Cup.
FIFA Intercontinental Cup
Organiser(s)FIFA
Founded2024; 2 years ago
RegionInternational
Teams6
Related competitionsFIFA Club World Cup
Current championsFrance Paris Saint-Germain (1st title)
Most championshipsFrance Paris Saint-Germain
Spain Real Madrid
(1 title each)

2026 FIFA Intercontinental Cup

The FIFA Intercontinental Cup is an annual football competition organised by FIFA, the global governing body for the sport. First held in 2024, the tournament features the reigning club champions of each of the six FIFA confederations, contested in a knockout in competition which the representative from Europe receives a BYE to the final!! Good planning!!

The tournament concept is closely modelled on the earlier version of the FIFA World Cup, which underwent major expansion and restructuring starting with the 2025 edition. The FIFA Intercontinental Cup confers the title of annual world champions. Paris Saint-Germain are the current holders, having defeated Flamengo 2–1 on penalties following a 1–1 draw after extra-time in the 2025 Final.

Overall Real Madrid has won it 4 times, Barca 3, Corinthians 2 and the rest once each.

Saturday, 17 October 2026

ENGLAND v USSR AND RUSSIA

 17th October 2007

You will know the Political  "history" of Russia and its varied titles over the years. If not try this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_Federation_of_the_Soviet_Union.

On this day, 2007 England played Russia on the artificial surface of the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow and a 2-1 defeat was a major setback in their hopes of qualifying for Euro 2008. They eventually finished third in the group – behind qualifiers Croatia and Russia – and equal on points with Israel. England manager Steve McClaren only lasted another month in the job following the defeat in Russia.

v Russia

Games won:1
Games drawn:1
Games lost:1
DateMatchResultScoreCompetition
12 Sep 2007England v RussiaW3-0UEFA European Championship
17 Oct 2007Russia v EnglandL2-1UEFA European Championship
11 Jun 2016England v RussiaD1-1UEFA European Championship

v USSR

Games won:5
Games drawn:3
Games lost:3
DateMatchResultScoreCompetition
18 May 1958USSR v EnglandD1-1International Friendly
08 Jun 1958England v USSRD2-2FIFA World Cup
17 Jun 1958USSR v EnglandL1-0FIFA World Cup
22 Oct 1958England v USSRW5-0International Friendly
06 Dec 1967England v USSRD2-2International Friendly
08 Jun 1968England v USSRW2-0UEFA European Championship
10 Jun 1973USSR v EnglandW1-2International Friendly
02 Jun 1984England v USSRL0-2International Friendly
26 Mar 1986USSR v EnglandW0-1International Friendly
18 Jun 1988England v USSRL1-3UEFA European Championship
21 May 1991

The Football Federation of the Soviet Union was a governing body of football in the Soviet Union and since 1972 the main governing body of football in the country. The Federation was created in late 1934 by the decision of the Supreme Council of Physical Culture of the Soviet Union as its sports section governing specifically football. It was the only organization that obtained recognition of FIFA in 1946.
England v USSR


W3-1England Challenge Cup